Elisayra was the first to leave that day. The warmth of extra bodies in their room was pleasant. The room was clean, with fresh air. And even food which Casper had very graciously paid for. She made it a point to leave as early as possible. If she could return with good news and money for anyone else, surely Casper would see the value in letting her live.
When she had passed by him, of course he seemed interested to some degree but he appeared no different than any other young man, she had been hoping for more money even, but the sword of his was nice and the daggers could be useful. She didn't once for a second believe she had stolen from perhaps one of the most terrifying men she would ever meet.
Elisayra was, and well aware of, the fact that she was scum. The lowest of the low. Barely and even arguably only a razor's edge away from being property, and she had been owned a few times in fact. A servant, a play thing, a tool to be used. She had managed to avoid being used however. Which she prided herself on. Most of the other girls were not so lucky. Elisayra had seen the world from its very lowest point for many years. Doing anything she could for a coin. To eat, to avoid starving to death in the gutters.
When she had found Claire, she had found some sense of community. Claire did well to keep her safe but even among the lowest of the low, the fellow scum. The beggars and thieves and bastards and abandoned children she was lower still. Even in their hide away, deep in the alleys of the slums surrounded by filth she was spat on. Mud kicked into her eyes and mouth and hair. She was pushed and bullied and abused. If she didn't bring enough coins the teens would beat her. If she didn't share her small scraps of food, she would be tossed out into the rain, into the cold. Even among the lowest of the low she was still lower.
When she had stolen an old sword, two daggers and 7 gold, she didn't once for a moment think that man would hunt her down for weeks. That he would break down the doors and attack them the way he did. But she saw it all. He was fast...too fast, strong, too strong. And the look in his eyes terrified her. She had panicked. Let the arrow fly, she wanted to be small, but the arrow went, and he caught it.
When he had asked for her, she knew she was as good as dead. Perhaps she would be tortured. Or toyed with. Like some play thing. Some doll. Just like she always had been, if not worse. She had wronged this man and he had every right to do with her as she pleased. As they walked, she had readied herself for anything. To be torturer, or raped, or both at the same time. Fed to dogs, left to starve. Sold into slavery. The reality of it all had run through her mind, but Casper had not done any of those...at least not yet.
When he had told her he had plans, she thought she knew what that meant. What all men meant and wanted. And perhaps even so he still wanted. But maybe wanted to play games with her first she couldn't be sure. However, it appeared that Casper at least at the moment truly wanted her skills to be used for something, for now.
Elisayra had realized that so long as she was useful. Had other skills, could provide or be of some sort of help that she would be spared from her inevitable fate of rape and torture or dog food. So long as she could prove to Casper that she was of value. He probably wouldn't harm her. So she needed to prove with every ounce of her being she could be useful.
Perhaps she took the mission of the missing girl because of her personal feelings. Or perhaps she took it because it offered the largest cash reward, she couldn't tell, and it didn't matter. What mattered now was doing this correctly. Quickly, and with as much time to spare as to even possibly pick up another job to truly show she was an asset, and should be allowed to live even just a little longer.
The paper had very little information, obviously, other than that she had been kidnapped close to the markets, and to return her to her home in the high courtyard, or to go there for any information they may need. Elisayra very well could not go there to ask questions. She was a half elf. And half breeds were barely tolerated in the city, and not at all permitted into the nicer parts of town. She also looked young, and was a girl, and would not be taken seriously should she go by herself to speak with the parents. So instead she left on her own.
The cool morning air was filled with pleasant scents of baked goods, fresh foods and fireplaces. It had been quite some time since she took the time to truly explore the markets. Of course she was intimately familiar with their layouts, and what stalls were easy to take from and so forth. But now she needed to go there properly, Not as a thief, yet.
In order for her plan to work, she needed to look the part, which meant she needed to steal some cloths. She had stolen cloths before, but so many people in the districts she stole from knew of her now that she couldn't get away with it much. Elisayra stole from the poor districts because the cloths they offered were better suited to her needs. Cloaks and hoods, heavy boots and working gloves. Now however, she needed to steal something more fashionable, something high profile to draw attention to herself.
This was of course no easy feat. as her current cloths were nothing more than rags. So over the course of the day, she worked on stealing cloths first to allow her into the middle districts. Changing quickly in alleyways and behind piles of refuse. Once she could make her way into the middle districts, she would take another set of cloths to allow her easier and unsuspecting access into the upper districts, where she stole the final set, which was the easiest of them all, as the cloths were hanging on a line out to dry practically begging to be stolen.
Now with her new cloths, Elisayra walked casually through the upper markets
she saw for the first time the sort of beauty it had about it. A colorful collection of strings and banners and cloth hangings around wood structures. Some are more permanent than others. All surrounded by a large circle of three to four story high buildings. This was also the first time in quite a while she had been to the markets without her cloak on, and with her head held upwards. She meandered through the crowds of people. Sniffing at the wonderful smells and listening to the sounds of feet on cobble. Gazing up at the sky and letting her mind wander to far off places.
As she walked through the markets, she heard the sounds of footsteps heading towards her. She was positioned close to an alleyway by design, looking down at the some goods in one of the stalls when she heard it. The mass of people around her made it hard to pinpoint exactly how many or from what direction specifically but the intent could be heard. She lifted her head up and glanced around, but her head was stopped in place by a firm hand that grabber her mouth and head and pulled her in. She felt the strained muscles of a man grab her face and her body as she was yanked back into an alley.
Elisayra of course had no guarantee that she would be taken. She bet that a lone girl dressed well looking helpless would likely be an easy target. She had noticed that several other children had been taken, from the whispers of people on the streets and some other lesser paying job postings, which meant that this was an organization operation.
Elisayra did her best to play her role, and tried to call for help but the man gripped tighter around her cheeks and held her closer to his body. She could hear them more clearly now, a few men, they quickly dragged her as she threw out light kicks and punches to the men around her.
They laughed and talked to one another, as a dirty stinking cloth was shoved into her mouth and around her head, Causing her cheeks to dig into her teeth. She sputtered and tried to call out again but the cloth was in tight, and soon a burlap sack was placed over her head. She fought and strained as ropes tied around her wrist, and her ankles as she was dragged deeper and deeper and deeper away from the markets.
Elisayra was dragged for a modest amount of time, letting her body go limp, giving up on struggling, letting the men handle her through alleys.
She was led into a building, and as she heard a door open, the sounds of boots on wood, and then another door. Her feet bounced against stairs as she was dragged down, and eventually tossed onto cold stone ground, followed by the sound of metal clanking shut.
She laid there on the ground for a little while, listening to the men speak, as they talked about good pickings, luck, and discussing if they should give them a test run. Though to Elisayras relief that idea was shot down by another man. Eventually she heard most of their feet leave back to the stairs, and she rested for just a moment longer before slowly lifting the burlap off from her head to look around the room.
The air was moldy and stale, a scent mixed with sweat, fear, and old stones. One single man sat on a chair nearest the stairwell in the far side of the room, his head nodding off slowly. A single candle gave the room light on the table next to him. The man himself had a sword and long knife on him but no obvious keys on him or on the table nearby.
She was in a moderately sized room, enough to hold the 8 individually made cells of thick stone and iron bars that formed in an L shape with only a few feet of walking room. There were 2 other girls in the cell with her, both curled up into tight balls in the corners, one taking passing glances at Elisayra as she wiggled and wormed her way upright in the center of the cell. It looks like every single one of the 8 cells in this space had at least one occupant, most having at least 2. She strained her eyes against the dim light. Letting as much of it filter into her eyes as possible to get a better view. 16 children total. All looked like women, some looked like halfbreeds, like herself, and others looked of pureblood and likely good families.
Elisayra pushed herself back onto the wall, closer to the two girls in the cell with her.
She didn't want to risk speaking to them. It was very possible they had been beaten or tortured and conditioned to tell or rat should someone try to escape. it wasn't too uncommon and something she herself experienced before, and done before. So it was better instead to stay quiet and hide her intent even from the other girls here.
Up against the stone, she slowly wiggled the knife out from under her baggy, ill-fitting fluffy shirt. She had looked ditzy and unassuming enough. None of them had tried to search her. Their first mistake. She slowly and silently cut the bindings around her wrist. But held the rope taught in her hands along with the knife to give the illusion of being bound up still. Once she was free on her wrists, she curled herself up into a ball, and worked to unassumingly fray the rope around her ankles, doing her best to keep it intact until she needed to break free.
And then she waited. While she wanted to get this done quickly, she also needed to know patience. There was a time and a place to act and that time was not quite yet. She watched the guard nod off, board at his station guarding young women, and she waited, and waited, and waited some more just until the man was on the verge of sleep. Just on the boundary of nodding off. And then she moved. She crawled herself over to the bars and called out
"please sir, might I have some water, I'm terribly thirsty" she put on her best young, scared, and desperate voice, which was in fact not much different from her own she realized, as this was after all a very scary situation to be in, more so if her plan didn't work.
the man shot up. His face twisted with annoyance and anger, clearly deeply upset by being woken up just as he was about to sleep
"fuck off girl, you eat and drink when we tell you you can" he tried to shift himself back into a comfortable position
"Please sir! Its been too long since I've had water, if I don't drink soon I very well may die here on this cell"
"So what, shut your mouth and die then"
"Please sir! I beg off you! Even just a drop of water, I'll do anything you want" she begged.
One eye lifted at that and a disgusting smile crossed the guards face. "Oi. I got an idea for ya las, here"
Elisayra stayed at the bars as the man approached, fumbling with his pants, he stepped close to the bars and let his cock spill out from his pants. Already a little hard and slowly rising
"open wide sweetheart" he laughed to himself, and then sucked in a sharp breath of air as Elisayra drove her knife into the space between his balls and asshole.
The guard shuddered, stumbled and buckled his knees as he dropped to the floor. Elisayra reached her free hand through the bar and drove his head hard into the bars with a ringing thud, her other hand grabbing the knife from between his legs and driving it hard into the mans throat. Sending red hot blood over Elisayra as she dug the blade deep and cut until the man collapsed to the ground in a sputtering mess.
It wasn't the first time she had killed a man. And it certainly wouldn't be the last. However it looked as if the girls here had had their throats cut with the expression on their faces. Elisayra broke her legs free from the bindings and rustled around on the mans body. Her hands were soaked in hot blood as she searched, but no key, of course it would be too easy for the guard to have a key. She sighed and worked a file out from her shoes, it was a crude thing, but rarely were these locks particularly complex and in a few swift motions had the cell door unlocked.
Elisayra stepped out into the small area and looked through all the cells until she found her target. The missing girl who had been in the poster was there, middle cell, nice dress all torn and muddied and looking on with fear as Elisayra pondered what to do.
"Ill be back to help you all, for now, stay here and stay very quiet, I swear to you all I will be right back"
The girls in their cells looked far too dumbstruck with fear to say anything, and Elisayra had to take that as compliance as she stalked up the stone stairwell. pressing her body to the wall, she approached the top and listened in. She could hear a few footsteps beyond into the next room, slow, dragging, and she timed them. She took note of their pace, their stride, direction, sound and the changes it made when behind barriers or out in the open or next to her. She pressed on the door, open.
She waited. Elisayra was patient. It was better to be patient and careful than fast and Rash. Nothing good ever came from Elisayra acting rashly. So, she waited, and waited, and waited some more until the sounds of their boots were all in the correct position. The door swung up gently and closed just as quickly.
Elisayra's body was low against the ground pressing to the hard shadows cast by the dim light inside. The windows were boarded, the only light a lantern and a few candles. Perfect. Elisayra stalked around the corner and ducked behind a shelf as a man paced by her, inches away but entirely unassuming. Elisayra began walking again, up the stairs, until a door opened. Elisayra gritted her teeth tight and had to make a decision. Careful, slow, patient. She stalked back downstairs and found herself a good spot as she listened to the newly open door above.
The sound of men discussing payment, prices. Times. She waited as they finished their conversation and waited longer still as they meandered down stairs. And Elisayra came out right behind them and up into the hall, scanning, watching, looking. Elisayra ducked into the far room. As expected, the storeroom, it was the only room with lower foot traffic and more dust around it. She carefully made her way to the door that lead the balcony, locked. She deftly picked it and let it swing open.
The balcony backed into another collection of buildings down a tight alley. It would be difficult. But she hasn't gotten this far to fail. She let the door rest, and went back down, careful not to be seen. Careful to stick to the shadows and she re entered the cell room.
The blood from the man she had killed was almost at the girls now. Their bodies pressed tight into the corner to avoid it.
Elisayra looked to them all "I'm getting us all out of here, follow me, stay quiet, we will go one at a time. But be, quiet."
Elisayra grabbed the girl she was caged with first. Pulling her by her arm until she reluctantly followed. "Stay close and stay down" Elisayra brought a finger up to her lips to hush the girl down. She was breathing heavy, her body was shaking. This would be difficult, but it had to be done. She listened again, for people their feet and their positions, and then she went.
Elisayra practically dragged the girl along with her, and she did well to be quiet. Slowly, methodically. She brought her around the corner. Ducked near the shelf, up the stairs, and into the store room. One by one she got each and every girl there. Some were harder than others, some where easier, but each one was brought to the store room. And on the last one as they left, Elisayra jammed her file into the main doors lock and shut it tight behind them. It would only buy them a little time but Elisayra figured by now is when they might check or rotate.
Elisayra stood among the girls in the store room and pushed the balcony door open, into the relatively fresh air, and using a collection of sheets and rope, constructed a way for them all the repel down. Slowly, carefully, she helped each girl down into the alley, each girl running as their feet touched the ground, each girl sprinting away into the markets or familiar homes or businesses they knew. All but one, which Elisayra saved for last. "You need to come with me" Elisayra helped the girl down into the alley, just in time it seemed too. The men inside started a commotion, the sounds of shouting and yelling and things breaking, and Elisayra and the girl ran as hard as they could.